How to Promote Open Time-Off Requests

As SaaS professionals, we often pride ourselves on fostering progressive workplace policies that promote flexibility and work-life balance. One such policy, Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO), has been a hot topic in our industry. While it sounds ideal, it's not without its pitfalls. In fact, unlimited PTO can sometimes lead to fewer days off, as team members may feel uncertain about how much is "too much" or fear being perceived as less committed. 🔍 The Paradox of Choice: Unlimited PTO offers freedom, but this very freedom can create an unspoken pressure. Employees might hesitate to take leave, leading to burnout – the exact opposite of what this policy aims to prevent. ✨ Tips for Managers: 1️⃣ Lead by Example: Demonstrate the importance of taking time off by doing so yourself. When leaders prioritize their well-being, it sets a precedent for the team. 2️⃣ Clear Communication: Regularly encourage your team to take PTO. Make it clear that taking time off is not just allowed, but expected and valued. 3️⃣ Set Boundaries: Establish guidelines for how PTO should be requested and approved. This clarity will alleviate anxieties about taking leave. 4️⃣ Monitor Workloads: Keep an eye on workloads to ensure they're manageable and don’t inadvertently pressure employees into forgoing PTO. 5️⃣ Promote a Culture of Respect: Foster a team environment where everyone's time off is respected. This means no emails or calls during someone's PTO, barring emergencies. 6️⃣ Check-Ins: Have regular one-on-ones where you discuss not just work but also well-being and work-life balance. This can help identify any hesitations about taking PTO. 7️⃣ Encourage Mini-Breaks: Not everyone might want to take long vacations. Encourage shorter breaks or days off to recharge. ✏️ Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences with unlimited PTO in the comments! #MarketingLeadership #WorkLifeBalance #EmployeeWellbeing #UnlimitedPTO #TeamManagement

#ManagerMonday Tip: "Too busy for vacation." Let's talk about vacations! No seriously, let's talk about them more at work - and proactively, rather than begrudgingly approving requests. Taking time off is valuable for employee well-being and productivity (I'll add a link in the comments). As a manager, "leadership" means supporting your team members in taking those well-deserved breaks. How can you do that? - Lead by Example: Show your team that it's not just okay, but important, to take time off by prioritizing your own vacations and communicating about them openly. - Plan Ahead: Encourage your team to plan their vacations in advance so that their work can be delegated or scheduled accordingly to get it done without requiring a "working vacation." - Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate expectations regarding work coverage and availability during vacations - ideally, that's "not at all." You can use out-of-office messages and processes to help team members come back from vacation without having a pile of emails waiting for them, or trying to figure out what's been handled. - Cross-Training: Ensure that there are plans in place by cross-training those team members to handle each other's responsibilities while someone is away (so time off isn't "off-ish"). - Celebrate Time Off: Acknowledge and celebrate team members' vacations to show that you appreciate their hard work and value their well-being. If these steps sound simple and common, far from it. Ask your team members if they've had managers who have supported their taking time off. My guess? "Um, pretty much the opposite." That's why when you do support them, you make a difference for your team members - and their family and friends. #managertips #vacation #timeoff #monday

Taking time off shouldn’t feel like asking for forgiveness. But you’re probably feeling it does. You feel guilty. You over-explain. You check emails from the beach. And worst of all, you never fully switch off. You can take time off without upsetting your manager, falling behind, or feeling bad. 7 smart ways to take time off without stress. 1. Ask early ↳ Last-minute vacation requests can create stress and pushback from managers. ✅ Give as much notice as possible so plans can be adjusted smoothly. 2. Show your plan ↳ Don’t just announce time off, show you’ve thought through the continuity. ✅ Share how you’ll cover responsibilities before your break. 3. Avoid using apology language ↳ You don’t need to apologize for resting, it’s part of sustainable performance. ✅ Say: “I’ll be offline from [date] to [date]”. 4. Prepare your backup ↳ Clarity keeps your absence from becoming a bottleneck. ✅ Leave behind a short checklist or guide for whoever’s covering. 5. Acknowledge the team ↳ Showing consideration for your teammates builds trust and shows emotional intelligence. ✅ Sync with the team to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. 6. Align with business cycles ↳ Taking time off during quiet periods makes approval easier. ✅ Plan your break during slower periods or after major deliverables. 7. Don’t wait for burnout ↳ Time off should be proactive, not reactive. Waiting until you’re drained helps no one. ✅ Schedule breaks regularly to stay energized and resilient. Your time off isn’t just a benefit. It’s a boundary. And when you handle it with intention, it helps everyone. Including your manager. You’re not irresponsible for needing rest. You’re responsible because you do. What’s your go-to strategy for asking for time off? ♻️ Repost to inspire your network to disconnect better ➕ Follow Youssef El Allame for more career insights

Normalize telling your reps to take PTO. I'll die on this hill. Time off is essential for top performance. Now before I get a ton of messages that say "but Seannnnn, why would I let my reps take more time off if they are missing their number?" Ok, if thats the case, then there is a different discussion. But here is the deal - Pushing people on my team to take time off has produced MORE productivity, and for a few reasons: - If they are taking one day off, they know they have to squeeze more productivity into their time working - Reps can get burned out quickly with the stress of sales. Time off is necessary for them to recharge and regroup - Time away in nature, and working on themselves physically/mentally/emotional can create better experiences with customers So if you are leading a team and feel like your reps are having a tough time, have an open conversation with them about taking a half or full day. You might find that after some time away to recharge, they come back more focused and energized. Normalize it.

Managers, are you enabling life-work balance and employee wellbeing on your team? Here are a few ways you can promote this on your team: ➡ Don't just encourage your team to use their time off, enable it! Ensure the systems and processes your team uses allows for folks to step away from their work without the fear of returning to disaster or having to pile loads of work on peers. ➡Encourage, enable, and make it a team norm for a each member of your team to take time for themselves with a monthly wellbeing day. ➡When possible, consider if adjusting working hours or splitting the work day may work better for members of your team. For hourly employees, revisit schedules quarterly to ensure they still make sense. If you're making changes to hourly employee schedules, involve them in the discussion and give them plenty of notice to make any necessary adjustments in their personal life. — Hi, I’m Hannah! I have over a decade of People/HR experience in tech start-ups and have navigated 2 organizations through M&A, and more through M&A integrations. Follow me for all things impacting employee engagement & employee experience. Happy, engaged employees are good for business. . . . #Manager #Leadership #EmployeeExperience #EmployeeEngagement #ManagerImpact #EmployeeWellbeing #LifeWorkBalance #HappyAndEngaged